A packet analyzer (also known as a network analyzer, protocol parser, protocol analyzer or packet sniffer) is software or hardware that can intercept and log traffic traveling over a network. As data flows across the network, the packet analyzer can capture packets. If the content of the packet is encoded, the packet analyzer can decode the encoded data and display the values of various fields in the packet.
Some known packet analyzers can capture, view and display network data and can decipher network protocols. Users can interactively browse the data traffic on a computer network using a graphical user interface (GUI) that can filter and organize the data. Two common software-based packet analyzers are Microsoft Network Monitor and Wireshark.